The Wammy House Kidnappings
by Silverstorm42
Summary: At sixteen, L Lawliet has his detective career all worked out. He's even made a list of possible successors from the Wammy House orphanage. But what happens when all three children on the list mysteriously vanish? Is L himself the next target?
1. Chapter 1

L Lawliet sat in his armchair, knees drawn up to his chest. One of his hands was absentmindedly petting Loki, the orphanage cat. The other hand held a small paperback book – Crime Solving for the Amateur Detective. An unusual reading choice for a sixteen-year-old boy – but L was not the usual teenager.

He was an orphan as far as anyone knew, raised at Wammy's House For Gifted Children. He was even more of a genius than the average Wammy adolescent, and could solve any crime from a lost toy to a series of grisly murders.

At fourteen, he had been given his own office on the top floor of the building, although it wasn't so much an office as a cluttered dormitory where he did his serious thinking. Two years later, phone calls came in from all over the world, beseeching the young detective to put together the pieces of puzzling crimes.

It didn't bother him much that he still, technically, lived in his childhood orphanage. In fact, it was to his advantage. L knew that being a detective was dangerous, and expected his life to be endangered at some point. Carefully observing the younger Wammy children, he'd put together a list of potential successors. He kept it tucked under the seat of one of his chairs, but that didn't really matter because he knew it by heart.

_1. Nate River (Near), age 6. Thoughtful and patient. Solved the "crime" of Mihael's stolen chocolate bar, without any adult help. Defended himself against accusation of eating it._

_2. Mihael Keehl (Mello), age 8. Ambitious and persistent. Good at working with others. Plotted map of entire Wammy House building, in order to sneak around at night. _

_3. Mail Jeevas (Matt), age 8. Strategic and inventive. Thought of tapping on the walls using Morse Code, to communicate with children in other dormitories. _

L jumped as someone knocked on the door. That was unusual –the Wammy House staff never bothered him in his office, and clients usually phoned him rather than personally visiting.

He opened the door to see Watari, the founder of Wammy House. He had his own office too, L remembered, on the same floor.

The middle-aged man's eyes were nervous. "L … I'm sorry to bother you, but we've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"It's Near. You know, Nate River. Top of your list." Watari was the only one who knew about L's list of successors.

"What happened?" Dread crept into L's heart.

"He's … missing. Kidnapped, we think."


	2. Chapter 2

"Where was he last seen?" asked L.

"I spoke to Linda, who saw Nate last," said Watari. "She said that he saw a strange thing outside, and went out to see what it was."

"What kind of strange thing?"  
"She didn't say." Watari shook his head.

"In that case … " The dark-haired teenager shuffled his bare feet on the carpet. "We need to talk to the kids, and find out if any of them saw the same thing, or knows where Near went."

* * *

In a few minutes, all 41 Wammy House boys and girls, ranging from approximately ages five to fourteen, were gathered in L's "office". Most of them had never been there before.

L sat in his armchair, scuffing the fabric with his toes. All eyes were turned on him. "Nate – Near - is missing," he announced, speaking to them as if they were adults. "Did anyone see him today?"

Silence. Forty-one scared faces looked up at L.

"Don't worry, you won't be in trouble. I need help solving a mystery." The Wammy House employees had given him some pointers on talking to the kids.

Six-year-old Linda timidly raised her hand. She wasn't officially on L's list, but he considered her #4, right behind Matt. Her real name was Suzanne. "I was talking to Near today," the blonde girl said. "He saw a – a strange thing out the window. He went out to look for it."

"And the aides didn't see him?" L leaned forward, popping a two-bite brownie into his mouth. He was trying to appear interested and friendly, but truthfully he looked as though he were threatening to eat Linda.

"No, our aide went to find tissues for Mello. He hit his head and got a bloody nose. He was screaming and screaming."

Several of the younger kids snickered. Mello, sitting on the couch and holding a Kleenex to his nose, shot Linda a furious glare.

L nodded. "Which floor were you on?" Wammy House was tall, like all the buildings in the city.

"The art room, on the second floor. I was showing him how to paint with watercolors." Linda was remarkably talented at art.

"Okay, so who was on the first floor?" L asked, with an attempt at an affable smile. It made him look demonic.

"I was," piped up Matt – eight years old, third on the list, and Mello's best friend. "Playing Alien War on the PlayStation. I didn't see Near leave, but I know the aide wasn't there. She was cleaning up the juice that someone spilled."

L leaned back in his chair and ate another brownie. "Let's go back to you, Linda," he said. "What was it that Near saw?

"A man carrying a big bag. Near said he looked like you, L. But it was hard to tell from so high up."

"A big bag? Big enough to fit one of you inside?"  
The children stared in horror. L inwardly cursed himself for saying the wrong thing. "Er – what I mean is, can you tell me more about this man?"  
Linda took a deep breath. "He had a black car, and he was wearing sunglasses. I didn't see if he stole Near, because I didn't watch after Near left."

L marveled at how composed the little girl seemed. Many six-year-olds would be crying by now. "Okay, thank you, Linda and Matt. You can all go now. I'm going to find Near and bring him back."

They shuffled out of the room in a gloomy silence. No one talked.

Once only L was left in the room, Loki jumped onto the arm of L's chair. He yawned, showing his sharp cat teeth.

"How can I do this?" murmured L. "I'm only sixteen. Maybe I should leave kidnapping cases to the professionals."

Loki stared back with unfathomable green cat eyes.


End file.
